Boytjie Posted December 31, 2015 #101 Share Posted December 31, 2015 If you're looking to try another line, Princess offers sailings that don't stop at HMC. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk But they stop at Princess Cay; it is not as nice as HMC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panda24 Posted December 31, 2015 #102 Share Posted December 31, 2015 But they stop at Princess Cay; it is not as nice as HMC. Sorry, we were looking at Panama Canal itineraries. Wet haven't looked at any itineraries exclusively Caribbean. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted December 31, 2015 #103 Share Posted December 31, 2015 But they stop at Princess Cay; it is not as nice as HMC. That's a fact, Jack! And neither is RCI's Coco Cay (Labadee, Haiti is not a private "island") - Can't speak for Disney's and/or NCL's private Bahamian isles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scamper Posted December 31, 2015 #104 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I've got a four stop history with HMC, and you can count me as one in the "over it" choir. Yes, it's lovely and the water is beautiful, but water sports and sunning is about all it has to offer and since I have been blessed/cursed with fair skin, the sun and I aren't the best dancing partners. On the plus side, at my age my skin is preternaturally wrinkle and (mostly) line free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauladolla Posted December 31, 2015 #105 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Have been many times and always enjoy HMC. The sand is like powder, for more privacy walk aways down the beach there's always less people. It's much nicer than Princess or Norwegian's private island. Leaving Sunday on the Eurodam and HMC is the first stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watson's aunt Posted December 31, 2015 #106 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hi I can't wait to go back. I picked this cruise because I wanted to stop there. Last time I was there I spent most of my time in the water. I never made it over to the pirate ship. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted December 31, 2015 #107 Share Posted December 31, 2015 DH and I are not "beach" people per se, but if you have an active roll call, there is one option that we have done twice and have very much enjoyed....The Oasis (Grand Cabana) on HMC. The PG staff take care of you and there are hot tubs, slide, lots of shade, cabanas, restrooms, etc. Your lunch is prepared there for you and it is very good. It can make a real difference at HMC for those who have "been there done that". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbhcw Posted December 31, 2015 #108 Share Posted December 31, 2015 DH and I are not "beach" people per se, but if you have an active roll call, there is one option that we have done twice and have very much enjoyed....The Oasis (Grand Cabana) on HMC. The PG staff take care of you and there are hot tubs, slide, lots of shade, cabanas, restrooms, etc. Your lunch is prepared there for you and it is very good. It can make a real difference at HMC for those who have "been there done that". We have done this three times...once with just family and twice with cruising friends...They have been some of the nicest days we've had cruising. When I think of HMC...the Oasis is what I think about.... I love the water but cannot be in the sun so much anymore...so all the shaded area is wonderful..we don't do a lot of excursions anymore...so having the Oasis just makes for a fun and relaxing day in a beautiful place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhsolara Posted January 3, 2016 #109 Share Posted January 3, 2016 We LOVE HMC. It is one of the things that we look forward to on every cruise (and we are not beach people). I am not bothered by the new additions...if they add revenue that helps in some way to keep my price in line, then it doesn't bother me. I can't complain about the closeness of the chairs or anything like that because we only use one chair as a storage for our "stuff" while we're in the water or walking the beach or at the BBQ. We generally get a float and float around in the beautiful water for quite a while (in fact, we recently bought floats just like ones that we rent that we're taking with us...they cost us less than one rental fee to buy them). It's so easy to lose yourself there. The last time we were there we had a new experience for us and it made me love it even more. We walked down the beach a bit past all of the "goings on" and we honestly felt like we were on our own private island. It was totally quiet and there was no one around. Extremely peaceful, serene and absolutely gorgeous. We would go on a cruise that only went to HMC for a week. [emoji6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Goalie Posted January 3, 2016 #110 Share Posted January 3, 2016 We LOVE HMC. It is one of the things that we look forward to on every cruise (and we are not beach people). I am not bothered by the new additions...if they add revenue that helps in some way to keep my price in line, then it doesn't bother me. I can't complain about the closeness of the chairs or anything like that because we only use one chair as a storage for our "stuff" while we're in the water or walking the beach or at the BBQ. We generally get a float and float around in the beautiful water for quite a while (in fact, we recently bought floats just like ones that we rent that we're taking with us...they cost us less than one rental fee to buy them). It's so easy to lose yourself there. The last time we were there we had a new experience for us and it made me love it even more. We walked down the beach a bit past all of the "goings on" and we honestly felt like we were on our own private island. It was totally quiet and there was no one around. Extremely peaceful, serene and absolutely gorgeous. We would go on a cruise that only went to HMC for a week. [emoji6] The single time I was there, I walked past all the cabanas to the far end of the cay, and back. Beautiful, peaceful walk. I have no need to be part of the action, and, we don't do the on shore cabana thing, although we do love the retreat cabanas on the HAL ships that do offer them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dznymom Posted February 27, 2016 #111 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I love all the Private Island stops and consider them a highlight of most of my cruises. Although it has been a number of years since I have been to HMC, I absolutely loved it. It compared very favorably to the other ones I have been to (Coco Cay, Great Stirrup Cay, Castaway Cay & non-island Labadee). I fully expect to enjoy it when we stop there next month even though it sounds like they have over commercialized it. The water should still be the most amazing color on earth, and with luck the sun will shine and people will be happily playing in the sand and the water. I can't wait! That said, we now have a number of ports we don't bother getting off the ship for, or we sometimes just run off to do an errand. There is something so peaceful about a nearly empty ship that we thoroughly enjoy those days as well. I totally get why one would give up HMC for day onboard :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wldflr Posted February 27, 2016 #112 Share Posted February 27, 2016 On our cruise in January 2015, rough seas prevented us from tendering to HMC so everyone got to stay onboard - so no quiet day on ship OR a "beach day" to sit in our clamshell, read, walk down the beach, have a drink or whatever. So we were very happy this year when we got to go ashore. And yes, I'm not a fan of the pirate ship but we sit just outside in our loungers and enjoy the musicians who come ashore to play inside for an hour or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTraveller4ever Posted February 28, 2016 #113 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Maybe it was bad luck, but the water was always too cold for me when I was there. The Bahamas are not that hot in the winter. JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceMuzz Posted February 28, 2016 #114 Share Posted February 28, 2016 The first couple of times it was fun. Great beach. Service good. Water cold (in winter months). New island-based tenders helped. I don't even go onshore now. Just stay on board and read my kindle on the balcony. You? Shame on HAL for holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy cruises to one of the most boring places on earth. Have you considered leaving the ranks of "tourist" and joining the travelers go to far more interesting places? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted February 28, 2016 #115 Share Posted February 28, 2016 We like the beach...in fact we are on one now. We like HMC because we stay on the ship. It's quiet. As beaches go it is far from our favourite so we do not bother with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastlook Posted February 28, 2016 #116 Share Posted February 28, 2016 If the weather is nice and we are the only ship at HMC, I do enjoy spending time in the gorgeous water with the nice sandy bottom. I have never cared for the lunch on HMC, so we head back to the ship in the early afternoon for something to eat. We had the nicest day yet at HMC this past December 29th - perfect weather and the water temp was quite nice once you adjusted to it. Since we've been to most of the Caribbean islands either on a land vacation or via cruise ship, we will stay on the ship if nothing interests us ashore. This past cruise, HMC was the only port where we got off the ship (until we had to disembark at Port Everglades!) :-) Otherwise, we are content to relax with a good book and a beverage on our balcony, or (preferably) in a retreat cabana on the ships that have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam.Seattle Posted February 28, 2016 #117 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Wow... that was an interesting exchange of comments for 6-pages... My following comments are laced with humor and fact... now, please don't take me too seriously and please keep the flames to a minimum. It has been a while since I have posted here and see many of the old regular are still here saying the same old thing... Fact 1 - HAL is is business to make money and reward stock holders. Don't fool yourself thinking is anything else. Fact 2 - HMC is making a lot more money renting two story cabanas etc... so, get use to it. Fact 3 - As previously stated... Beauity is in eye of the beholder. Opinion 1- I agree that HMC is nicer than Princess Cay, but no where near as nice as Labadee. Oinion 2 - The plan is working! The folks who don't spend money on renting cabanas etc are staying on board which allows more tender space for the folks who are spending $$$$ on cabanas and booze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare albingirl Posted February 29, 2016 #118 Share Posted February 29, 2016 OK, I will be the freak and admit that I love HMC and think it is one of the most beautiful beaches. And since we get there in February we are coming out of winter in New York, so it is a little bit of heaven on earth. Agree, agree, and agree. I even like the barbeque. Been there a gazillion times and it never loses its charm for me.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARLEY225 Posted March 2, 2016 #119 Share Posted March 2, 2016 This is my favorite stop in the Caribbean with HAL. Every cruise I book must include her. I never understand why people knock the islands which are basically beach locations - if you are not beach people why are you on a Caribbean cruise ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted March 2, 2016 #120 Share Posted March 2, 2016 There are options. Go to HMC. Stay on the ship. Select a cruise that does not stop there. Lots of options. Simply pick one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toad Posted March 2, 2016 #121 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I wouldn't mind staying for a week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted March 2, 2016 #122 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) I wouldn't mind staying for a week! As would many others. But, if those that don't want to, don't go ashore, then the beach will be nicer! To each, their own. Edited March 2, 2016 by CruiserBruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTraveller4ever Posted March 2, 2016 #123 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) To each, their own. Bingo! But that seems to be a hard concept to accept for all the self-righteous folks here :) Edited March 2, 2016 by jpelleti007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SetAnOpenCourse Posted March 2, 2016 #124 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Nice place for a quiet walk along the water - I walk to the end and usually pass only a few people. Tender service last time was good, compared to previous times. BBQ not a draw - the meat was so over-charred, would have been pure ash if cooked a minute more. Fairly effortless way to enjoy a beach on the cruise. Very nice water, and seeing the big ship so close is kind of neat when you're in the water. Sense of accomplishment from not disembarking with beach towel still in its paper sleeve. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanner Posted March 2, 2016 #125 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Just off the 47 day Amazon/Carnaval Explorer on Maasdam, and we missed the first stop on HMC due to winds. The ship was full of mostly well traveled folks, but I heard many who were very unhappy that we missed the stop there. No one was celebrating the lack of the port stop day. Based on that, I think the majority of HAL customers do like the HMC days. Some don't get off the ship, but enjoy the quieter day aboard. Others do enjoy the sand and surf (beats the 6 inches of snow we returned home to). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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